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Hello!
Since last week we've been up to York for the Jorvik Viking Festival, led some tunes for the American Nyckelharpa Association, had a Symmetry dance and a folk club gig! But I have managed to add a good spread of things to the site this week! If you'd like to see the show - I filmed it and have uploaded it to YouTube. It's now in the Subscribers Extras section. Grab a coffee and enjoy!

We had Symmetry this week and here is the link to the play-along/listen again - Symmetry 25th February
On the säckpipa we have Tyrfing's Polska. A polska that Jonny wrote for Jorvik. I love the tune and it's likely to be taught at Halsway at the end of next month!
On the Scottish smallpipes we have a tune by Jonny called Friday Afternoon. It's a perfect example of jumping down to the drone note to make staccato rhythms,
On the nyckelharpa I added the articulations to Pablo Goes Fishing and added a duo version taken from Symmetry.
On the flute I added The Tightrope Walker. This was one of the change tunes from last summer and is paired with Jacob Hall's Jig II.

I've been doing quite a bit of filming and it's going to take time for everything to filter through, so more next week!
Enjoy
:))
Vicki

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Hello!
Another week passes and time seems to pass faster and faster! I am writing this update from the A1 as we drive north to see the finale of the Jorvik Viking festival where Jonny wrote the sound track again. I did quite a lot of filming and it'll take a while to edit it all up! But I promised an update with things other than nyckelharpa this week. So here we go!

On Saturday 22nd February I am one of the workshop leaders for the American Nyckelharpa Association Zoom jam. This takes place at 6pm UK time. I'm going to be leading 5 tunes well known over here. Come along!

We had our Symmetry Dance on Tuesday with the caller Mady Newfield. The video is up for watching again and playing along. Our next dance is on Tuesday 25th with Neil Stuart. We did an extra tune after the dance - The Mischief Makers by Dave Bartley. I chose a key that fits on the simple system 6 hole flute!

I did some recording last week and I used a tune on the tagelharpa called - Polska. So I filmed a quick lesson and dubbed it Grendel's Polska. (That's just my name for it). You can have too many tunes just called polska. 🤣 Because I played it on both Tagelharpa and säckpipa there is also a lesson for it on the säckpipa. I added the articulations and a duo version of Poppy's Present. I added a pipe tune from the Scottish Smallpipe tutor called Fionnula's Little Finger. (No grace notes required)

Finally - World Nyckelharpa Day is coming up soon and we need to make an advert! I have made an advert that I want to edit myself out of. So I'd love it if people could film themselves reading the 'script' and I'll edit it in. Ad libbing is fine too! Film yourself and send it to me!

That's all for this week! More next week!
:))
Vicki

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Hello!
I've been back from Sweden for a week now and I spent it on the road! We had a folk club, I recorded for a secret project, then spent two days at Warwick Castle and then tried to catch up! I didn't feel I'd done enough to make this update yet, but I really want to send it out before our next Symmetry dance which is tomorrow! (18th February). That said - stuff has been added to the site, but it's all nyckelharpa and I wanted to add a spread of instruments. I'll make sure I redress that balance by this coming Friday! So what did I add?

I added Find the Mole as a Change Tune Challenge. The lesson for this is filmed, but not yet edited!
I added Jonny's tune Statoca House. It's really pretty!

We had a dance before I left for Sweden and I set up the camera. Unfortunately we messed up the recording slightly and ended up with the caller in the recording. But they're still worth watching! I put together a play-along video with four of the dances in them.
Waltz for Shari and The Kindness of Thwaite and I did Mary K, just because I love the tune!
You can find the play along video here: Nottingham Folk Dance Club Selection
I spent today sorting through some nyckelrhythmics videos and wrote two tunes to go with the videos. I do an exercise where we throw scarves in the air. So these are the two tunes! Scarf Schottis and Scarf Långdans
More of everything else on Friday! Don't forget the Symmetry Dance 7pm UK time in Zoom on Tuesday 18th February. The music is up!
:))
Vicki

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Hello!
I'm running behind again, so I'm blending last week and this week into one update. I am now over in Sweden ready for the course at the Eric Sahlström Institute. It's been snowing lightly. everywhere looks lovely and I managed to get Herts to give me a car with studs! So what's new?

We had a Symmetry Dance and the video is now edited uploaded and ready for listening again too. When we get requests for tunes these days we will film and record them after the Symmetry dance and this week we had a request for Southwind. So you'll find that tune on the same page. Jonny wrote a lovely new waltz at the start of the year called New Years Day Waltz, so that was the waltz of choice for this week.

It was Burns last week and so a couple of Scottish tunes got a bit of a makeover.
100 Pipers has had articulations and fingering added.
Rory Dall's Port has had a solo version with fingering added
Jeanie's Blu E'en has had the articulations updated too.

On the flute I'm featuring a Swedish tune called Gladers Polska by Bent Ohlson on Wooden Flute. It's a great polska. On the Scottish Smallpipes we have In The Kitchen a great tune written by Jonny. 😀

That's it for now! It'll be reporting back after ESI next week! Hopefully lots of lovely videos!
Take Care
:))
Vicki

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Hello!
Happy Burns Night! I'm a little late in sending this out as it was a full on Burns Night weekend. As you can see from the video below I'm not averse to piping in the haggis and then giving it the full address! It was lovely to get the full tartan regalia on!

So what's new? Leather Lake House and Cotton Cottage have both had a couple of duo videos added to the lessons.
On the flute we have Slängpolska från Barsebäck.
On the Scottish Smallpipes we have How Does It Go?
On the fiddleharpa we have Walnut.
As it was Burns this week I am going to feature Rory Dall's Port. This tune was the tune that Burns used for his Song Ae Fond Kiss. It's a nice little trio.
More next week!
Enjoy
:))
VIcki

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Hello!
January is well and truly here and the Christmas decorations are down and everything is dark. Sigh. But lighter times are coming. I've been busy working on the things I'm going to be teaching over the next few months. I wrote my Burns In Memoriam, set what I'm going to do at the American Nyckelharpa Association Zoom Jam and also some Henry Purcell. Lots to get through! I'm focusing on trying to get all of our waltzes sorted in the composition section of the website. We always do a waltz at the end of every Symmetry dance - so I'm pulling these videos out and adding them to the lessons. I will get all our tunes up here if it's the last thing I do (and it probably will be!)

This week I spent quite a bit of time filming and editing the Global World Nyckelharpa Tune. It is the Byss-Calle tune that Torbjörn Näsbom found and taught at Halsway. You'll find that on the World Nyckelharpa Day website here.

I started at the top and added A Little Swedish Waltz written by Jonny Dyer.
On the Scottish smallpipes we have Banks of the Allan.
On the flute we have Masbopolketten.
On the fiddleharpa we have The Ash Grove.

More next week!
:))
Vicki

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Hello!
I've done a lot of recording, filming and editing this week, especially on the Scottish smallpipes and work for World Nyckelharpa Day. You'll spot the videos I did as they come through because I left the green screen at home! I was hoping to have the World Nyckelharpa Day global tune out by today - but I had to re-record the ensemble as the tuning was terrible!! It should be done by next week! I'm still waiting to find out what I'm going to be doing on the 27th April so I can figure out what form WND will take. I did rather enjoy the Zoom last year, so I hope I can do that again!

We had the Symmetry dance on Sunday and the video is now ready for playing along with.
The Dusty Pipes has been added to the Scottish Smallpipe tutor in Chapter 4. If you're a piper and you're working through earlier chapters do let me know and I'll jump to the section you're on!
The Red Ribbon (Walsh 1740) has been added to flute. This was a dance track request, so it's repeated many times!
Enfield Common on the nyckelharpa has had the articulations added to it.
I also felt inspired to record the first tune I ever wrote. It's called How Does it Go? It's a simple tune, but I taught it this week, so this is the lesson!
More next week! Stay safe out there!
:))
Vicki

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Happy New Year!
I hope everyone had a good Christmas and New Year. I've had a week of tidying a few things up. We had a lovely end to the year with a Symmetry Dance, the video is edited up ready to watch again and play along with. And we have our next dance on this Sunday - the Zoom is free to come along to and all subscribers and donators get a link to the video after the event.

I managed to get the articulations completed for the advent calendar.
21st December - In Dulci Jubilo
22nd December - Frosty the Snowman (also on the flute)
23rd December - Santa Claus is Coming to Town (also on the flute)
24th December - We Wish You A Merry Christmas
25th December - I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas
26th December - Jingle Bell Rock
27th December - It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas

Then I had a tidy up in the subscriber extras for the Halsway Manor tutors concerts. This is as complete as I can get this section now with and many videos for all the concerts found as possible!
Halsway Manor tutors Concert September 2024
Halsway Manor tutors Concert September 2023
Halsway Manor tutors Concert September 2022
Halsway Manor tutors Concert September 2021
Halsway Manor tutors Concert September 2017
Halsway Manor tutors Concert September 2016
Halsway Manor tutors Concert September 2015

NEW TWO / NEW THREE - These two lessons have had a Symmetry version added.
I made these two videos public on YouTube from the 2024 concert:
Epitaph -Second Part of Bartholomew Fair by John Blow https://youtu.be/OKyB90yWUGk
Polska efter Sven Donat Arr. Emilia Amper - https://youtu.be/uTchPQY45dU

What's coming up next week?
I've started work on some workshops I'm leading in the next few months. So I've been working on Purcell, Playford and most importantly the tune for World Nyckelharpa Day! I hope to be able to start some plans for the 27th April very soon. I'm waiting to find out my schedule so I can work out if I'm in a field or can run a Zoom! More about all of that in the coming weeks!
:))
Vicki

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Happy Christmas everyone! - God Jul allihoppa!
We complete our Christmas work on Sunday 22nd December. On Monday 23rd I grabbed the camera and spent the day filming. Normally I would then spread out the videos that I'd made - but they are all Christmas ones and a bit time dependent! So here is the entire haul that I videoed, edited, uploaded and then added to the site! It's Symmetry on Sunday - so hope to see you there! Video will go up as soon as it's edited!

Frosty the Snowman on flute
It's Starting to Feel a Lot Like Christmas on the NH
Tuning the Mini-harpa
Nu Är Det Jul Igen and Jul Jul Strålande Jul on the Säckpipa
Nu Är Det Jul Igen and Jul Jul Strålande Jul on the Scottish Smallpipes
Good King Wenceslas and Nu Tändas Tusen Juleljus on the Moraharpa
We Wish You A Merry Christmas on the nerdyharpa

It feels strange that this will be the last update this year! See you next year!
Happy Christmas!
:))
Vicki

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Hello!
It's solstice week and we've not touched ground since my last update, so this week it's a little thin on the ground. We had our Zoom concert on Monday and it was a lot fun! Just like we do for the Symmetry Dances it was filmed and is now available for watch again. The concert entry was by donation. (Which could be as small as £1.) Click here to get to the donate page. Once you have the link it stays up so you can watch it over Christmas or New Year or whenever you like!

I urgently needed to do a tuning lesson for tuning the miniharpa, the video needs re-doing as I had to film it in the undercroft at Warwick Castle. Because I did it in portrait and it was around a minute YouTube put it up as a short. I'll be replacing that when I get home! But the lesson is up - Tuning the Miniharpa

I managed to add articulations and gracenotes to the Advent Calendar this week (from a Days Inn hotel on the M40 just outside Warwick!) I'll try to finish them by Christmas!
14th December - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
15th December - Nu Har Vi Ljus
16th December - I Saw Three Ships
17th December - Mary Free
18th December - Silent Night
19th December - O Little Town of Bethlehem
20th December - Past Three O'Clock

This is the last update before Christmas - so I hope you have a relaxing break that gives you plenty of time to play whatever your instrument is!! More next week!
:))
Vicki